Ways to Expand Your Picky Eater's Taste Buds

If you have a child who sticks out his tongue at the sight of veggies or only eats "white" foods, you're far from alone. But don't despair. We've got smart solutions for helping even the fussiest kids become more adventurous.
By Suzanne Schlosberg from Parents Magazine

As an 8-month-old, your child ate mashed peas and carrots by the mouthful. But now that she's a toddler, she's staging a vegetable strike -- and would happily eat grilled cheese at every meal. How did mealtime go from a cute mess to an epic battle?

"Pickiness usually starts around 18 months and can last well into the school years," says Jennifer Shu, M.D., a Parents advisor and coauthor of Food Fights. "It's a time when kids tend to form their own likes and especially dislikes."

The best way to expand your child's palate? "Get her involved in meal decisions -- at the market, in the kitchen, at the dinner table," says Amy Hendel, author of Fat Families, Thin Families. You can also be more playful with your food prep, hide veggies in foods she likes, and more. Since there are many types of pickiness, you'll need to figure out what works for your child. The key: Keep trying.

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Talk up tastes At family gatherings, mention how much you like the food (and have an older sibling or cousin do the same). "Hearing your enthusiasm may encourage your child to take a bite of something unfamiliar," says Hendel.

Work with your kid, not against her At every meal, include one dish you know your child will eat. She's more likely to try collard greens if she knows she can fall back on sliced turkey.

Give him a say Let each family member pick a preferred entree (or side dish) once a week. Ask your child: "Do you want chicken tomorrow? Should we use the slow cooker?" If he can't decide, ask if he'd like to search online together for a new recipe you can try.

Be creative about nutritious treats Dessert doesn't have to consist of empty calories. The next time your child asks for ice cream, set up a DIY banana-split bar with low-fat frozen yogurt, fresh fruit, and a little cereal sprinkled on top.

Eat breakfast for dinner Even picky kids tend to like whole-wheat toast with low-fat cream cheese, fortified cereal, and scrambled eggs. So let yours end the day with "brinner" now and then -- as long as he'll eat the peach slices on his waffle.

Make veggies sound cool One study from Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, found that when carrots were called "X-ray vision carrots," 4-year-olds on average ate nearly twice as many of them. So serve up some "power peas" and "zany zucchini."

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Fixes for Common Picky-Eater

The Scenario: She eats only white foods, such as bread and pasta.
The Advice: Add some color to the mix. Stir a little pureed spinach into your child's bowl of mac 'n' cheese and say, "We're making it green today. It's like mixing paint." Getting her over the color hump may make her more open-minded about trying other foods in the future.

The Scenario: He wants food prepared only one way, like chicken in nugget form or potatoes as fries.
The Advice: "Adjust how you prepare foods to make them healthier," says Dr. Shu. Cut broiled chicken into a chunk and say, "This is a different type of chicken nugget. Try it." Or switch from regular to baked fries and then transition to baked potatoes.

The Scenario: Your child refuses to eat an entire food group, like fruit.
The Advice: Take inspiration from foods your child likes. If he eats Froot Loops, slice up oranges, blueberries, or strawberries, and add plain yogurt to mimic the colorful bowl of cereal. Instead of setting out his favorite pretzel rods, offer carrot sticks along with a bowl of salsa or ranch dressing.

Originally published in the February 2010 issue of Parents magazine.

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